NHL labor talks set to resume Tuesday

By The ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK – The NHL labor talks are set to resume Tuesday with six owners and players scheduled to meet without a couple of the key figures from each side.

With negotiations to resolve the lockout at a standstill, the league and union finalized the details for the unusual bargaining session over the weekend. The meeting will include the small group of owners and players, staff members and counsel on each side, but Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr will not be present.

The union will announce its representatives on Tuesday. Canadian Press News Agency reported Monday that Penguins star Sidney Crosby, Sabres goalie Ryan Miller and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews are among the players expected to be in New York and could be selected for the meeting.

After a few days of wrangling, following the conclusion of talks between the sides and a pair of federal mediators, the NHL and the union agreed on parameters for talks that will keep the respective leaders on the outside.

Bettman proposed such a meeting Wednesday when talks broke down and the mediators left the process. Originally, the thought was that only owners and players would get together for the next round of discussions, but the roster was expanded Sunday to include staff members and counsel on each side.

“Ultimately, we are just trying to find some meeting format that can gain some traction,” deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

All games through Dec. 14 have already been wiped off the schedule, along with the outdoor Winter Classic on New Year’s Day and All-Star Weekend that was slated for January in Columbus, Ohio.

The lockout reached its 79th day on Monday, and at best, there will only be a shortened season if there is any hockey at all.

The union has allowed any players who wanted to attend previous bargaining sessions to come, but the NHL has limited which owners could take part.

“The NHLPA has agreed to a meeting on Tuesday in New York that should facilitate dialogue between players and owners,” Donald Fehr said Sunday in a statement. “There will be owners attending this meeting who have not previously done so, which is encouraging and which we welcome. We hope that this meeting will be constructive and lead to a dialogue that will help us find a way to reach an agreement.”

Jacobs, considered one of the hardline owners, and Edwards are the only members of the NHL’s group of six to have taken part in previous negotiations.